JAKARTA – After months trapped in a capsule, the United States Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced that they had succeeded in removing samples of the asteroid Bennu.
This was possible because NASA’s Johnson Space Center curation team developed a tool to pry two fasteners from the head Touch-and-Go Sample Acquisition Mechanism (TAG SAM). This dismantling succeeded in exposing the rocks and dust inside.
“Engineers and scientists have worked tirelessly behind the scenes for months to design, develop and test new tools that will allow us to overcome this hurdle,” said Johnson ARES Division Chief Eileen Stansbery.
Stansbery also said that the entire team, including engineers and scientists, was happy with this success. To welcome this success, the team will take high-resolution images of the samples, remove the samples, and weigh them.
The weight of the remaining samples collected is not yet known, but the curation team managed to collect 70.3 grams of samples last October. Although not counting the newly secured samples, NASA managed to exceed the target by collecting 60 grams of material.
Currently, the curation team has separated the samples to share with NASA’s science team. The remaining samples carried by the Resource Identification, Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) capsule have been sealed in an airtight container to be preserved for a long period of time.
Bennu samples were first collected on October 20 last year. At that time, the curation team was only able to collect some of the material because the TAGSAM head could not yet be opened. The reason is, there are no proper tools to enter the glovebox.
The team had difficulty because they had to be careful to open the capsule. The only way to collect the remaining material was to develop a new tool that could fit into the glovebox and unscrew two fasteners.
Luckily, NASA managed to open TAGSAM and collect the remaining Bennu material. Over the next few months, the curation team will catalog the Bennu samples so they can be accessed by the global scientific community.
Tag: nasa space satellite
2024-01-12 05:35:00
#NASA #Successfully #Removes #Remaining #Bennu #Samples #Capsule
